Only 20 register in first days of Naivasha voter drive targeting 44,000

The continuous voter registration exercise in Naivasha got off to a rocky start, with less than 20 people registering in the first three days.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is targeting to enlist 44,000 new voters in the sub-county by 2027.

The countrywide exercise that kicked off on Monday recorded low turnout despite concerted efforts by IEBC and local leaders to encourage youths to register.

According to Lekisaat Seina, the sub-county Returning Officer, voter apathy had locked the start of the exercise, especially among the young people.

In the last three days, Lekisaat said less than 20 persons have turned up to register as new voters or change their polling stations in an exercise that targets over 44,000 new voters by 2027.

She appealed to the youths to turn up and register as voters to enable them to make their political decisions ahead of the 2027 General elections.

Speaking to the press at her offices, Lekisaat said the agency will visit area sport activities, markets, schools and churches with the administration officers facilitating the exercise to address low turnout.

"We seek to register over 44,000 new voters in Naivasha ahead of 2027 general elections but we are concerned over the voter apathy that has marred the start of the exercise", said Lekisaat.

She welcomed a new proposal to add an extra 11 registration centers on top of the existing 112 and another 284 polling stations, noting that it will help decongest some of the areas during the elections.

Lekisaat said new voters may present their original ID cards or a passport to be registered to change their stations, noting that the body had resorted to biometric, facial and Iris data for ease of verification.

The officer also noted that the area registry had issued over 25,000 ID cards since 2022, but raised concerns over 6,000 uncollected ID cards from the area registry, adding that they mandated area chiefs to help distribute the cards.

She further noted that the body will cascade the registration exercise to ward levels in the coming months, noting that the ongoing exercise will be done in three phases before the 2027 elections.